The Aas family's story
Member Colleen Aas, Moorhead, Minnesota, and her daughter, Annaliese, brought a touch of warmth and comfort to patients undergoing cancer treatments. They made fleece tie blankets and donated them to the Sanford Roger Maris Cancer Center in Fargo, North Dakota.
“Each blanket was made with love, to provide a sense of support and security during a challenging time,” Colleen says.
Her father had been a patient at the center, an experience that revealed two things:
- Patients always seemed to be cold. Nurses would have warm blankets for them to use, but they were washed many times and not soft and cozy.
- Kindness is its own kind of medicine. Colleen’s father experienced many acts of kindness while going through his treatments. The overwhelming feeling of love from complete strangers gave him strength.
The idea for the blanket volunteer project came from Annaliese.
“Having my daughter invested in this service project has been very rewarding as her mother,” Colleen says.
The mother-daughter duo used Modern Woodmen’s Do-Good Grant® to purchase needed supplies, carefully selecting material that would put a smile on patients’ faces. Then they set up shop in their home, cutting and tying the brightly colored fleece fabric together to make blankets.
“The staff was very thankful,” Colleen says. “They told us these blankets were going to bring joy to not only the patients receiving them, but the staff as well.”
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Do-Good Grant®
Members can apply to receive $200 in seed money to coordinate a small-scale volunteer project with family and friends. Modern Woodmen will award a limited number of grants per year on a first-come, first-served basis.